Lexapro for anxiety and ocd? and possible side effects?

I have been suffering from quite bad anxiety and ocd for quite some time now. I used to be on prozac but I hated the erectile dysfunction side effect. I was thinking about maybe trying Lexapro to treat my anxiety and ocd? But I am worried about the sexual side effects it might cause? I'm just wondering if anyone out there are on or have been on Lexapro and how their experience was with it. Did it help your anxiety and ocd? Did it cause sexual side effects? If it did cause sexual side effects did they go away the longer they took the medication? I was also wondering if I did go on Lexapro if it is ok to drink alcohol on it? I enjoy maybe going out with my friends once or twice a week and getting a good drink. I was just wondering if it is also safe to drink alcohol while taking Lexapro?

Responses (3)

Hello Andy,I am sorry you're still struggling with your problem :( The severity of sexual side effects depends on the individual and the specific type and dose of antidepressant. For some people, sexual side effects are minor or may ease up as their bodies adjust to the medication. For others, sexual side effects continue to be a problem.Antidepressants with the lowest rate of sexual side effects include:Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL)Mirtazapine (Remeron, Remeron SolTab)Antidepressants most likely to cause sexual side effects include:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These commonly prescribed antidepressants cause sexual side effects in many people. SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Prozac Weekly, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox, Luvox CR), paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva) and sertraline (Zoloft).Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), which include venlafaxine (Effexor XR), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, clomipramine (Anafranil), amoxapine and desipramine (Norpramin).Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate).One of these strategies may help:Waiting several weeks to see whether sexual side effects get better.Scheduling sexual activity before taking an antidepressant if your antidepressant requires a once-a-day dose.Adding a second antidepressant or another type of medication to counter sexual side effects. For example, the addition of the antidepressant bupropion or the anti-anxiety medication buspirone may ease sexual side effects caused by an antidepressant.Adding a medication to directly improve sexual function, such as sildenafil (Viagra, Revatio), tadalafil (Adcirca, Cialis) or vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn). Although these medications are used to treat sexual problems in men, initial research suggests sildenafil may also improve sexual problems caused by antidepressants in some women.Stopping medication because of sexual side effects is a common problem, and for most people this means depression and anxiety returns. Work with your doctor to find an effective antidepressant or combination of medications that will reduce your sexual side effects and keep your depression under control. Be patient, because everyone reacts differently to antidepressants, it may take some trial and error to identify what works best for you.

Thank you very much for your answer. I really appreciate it. All I know Pamee is when I was on the drug prozac for 3 years from when I was 18 until 21 it did completely change my life. It allowed me to live a life where I could easily hold down a job and and go on holiday abroad with my friends and stuff. But at the time I actually didn't really realize it was the prozac that was causing me the erectile dysfunction. I think at the time I just thought there was something wrong me. But I soon realized a while later it was the prozac that was causing it. Honestly it really is a shame. Because see the extent of how much prozac helped my mental health was literately unbelievable. I have tried a few different meds that are not SSRI's and they have really not helped at all. I must be honest I would love to go on an SSRI that helped my mental health the same way prozac did. But I just don't want those sexual side effects lol. I think my brain really loves that serotonin effect lol

Yes I have tried Viagra before when I was on prozac. That did actually help a bit. But I'm not really always wanting to be on something like Viagra. Recently I have really been thinking about giving Lexapro a go. From research I have done recently it seems to be one of the SSRI's with less chance of sexual side effects apart from Luvox. I would of went on Luvox but it seems that you can't take caffeine with Luvox. So that would mean monitoring everything I drank to make sure it didn't contain caffeine. If the anxiety and ocd doesn't get better soon I am definitely thinking about asking my psychiatrist if I can try Lexapro. Also with the alcohol thing it says you are best avoiding alcohol while taking this Lexapro. If I do start taking Lexapro I am hoping it wouldn't be extremely dangerous to now and again have a good few alcoholic beverages with my friends while I was taking Lexapro.

When I was on prozac I used to drink quite heavy roughly 2 nights a week. When I went on holiday one time when I was on prozac I drank heavy every night. I didn't seem to have much problems drinking alcohol while I was taking prozac. I was hoping Lexapro would be similar. I'm not a raging alcohol or anything. I'm just quite young and enjoy going out and having a wee drink with my friends now and again.

Hi Pamee. How you doing? Well I seen my doctor today and it turned out they didn't want to put me on Lexapro. So they have put me on 20mg of Celexa instead. I just really hope the Celexa helps the anxiety and ocd. I also really hope I don't get any annoying side effects.

Hi Andy,Like I mentioned in my first comment above that Lexapro and Celexa alike cause unwanted sexual side effects. The Celexa will help with your other issues, but your back to square one with the sexual side effects. Maybe if you don't think about it so much you can overcome it as some of those side effects subside after being on the med for a few months.I hope it works out for you.

Hello - I'm a Lexapro 'newbie'... only three weeks.Clearly you're intellegent enough to read the precautions re. alcohol. From what I've read, 'dizziness' is the main caution.

If you only drink socially once/twice/week, I imagine you'll be able to use self-control and not drink excessively.

That being said, as a sufferer of OCD, I imagine it is a positive thing for you to meet with friends (kudos on being able to maintain friendships with OCD) and have some fun.

I started Lexapro approx. three weeks ago: 2-10mg/day - at bedtime. This didn't work... super anxiety kept me from sleeping... had to take a Valium.

Then I cut the 10mgs into 5mgs then into 2.5mgs. Finally, at 2.5mg (only 1/day) I'm able to sleep. However, I keep trying to increase the dosage slowly, but so far, it still keeps me awake with very disturbing thoughts.

So... I'm optimistic that with extreme patience, I will gradually work my way up to a dose that actually does some good... So far, I haven't noticed any side effects, but I'm now off the Zoloft (which I had taken for nearly 20 years).

I never thought the Zoloft did very much to help my OCD nor my depression.

In addition to the Zoloft, now Lexapro, I take 2-10mgs. of Adderall every day.

I take them before 12 noon. I have no problem sleeping on Adderall, so I don't think that's why I suddenly developed insomnia upon taking the Lexapro.

The Adderall is what has really improved my life and overall disposition... I suddenly want to re-engage with the human race... participate... enjoy life.

I'm hoping the combo of Lexapro and Adderall will eventually meld into a constructive treatment.

I was suffering from delayed orgasm and saw a study in "The Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy" from February, 2011 measuring the effects of bupropion on sexuality. The study concluded that with the bupropion 70% of the study group reported improvement in libido, arousal, or orgasmic function while taking the drug. It might be worthwhile talking to your doctor about giving it a try as an antidepressant.